Adaptable motor-car body.



R. H. & v. HQPKINSON. ADAPTABLE MOTOR GAR BODY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1913.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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gLA/Mw COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH CO-.WASH1NGTON, D. C

R. H. & V. HOPKINSON.

ADAPTABLE MOTOR CAR BODY. APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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CDLUMBIA FLANDORAPH cu.. WASHINGTON, n. C.

RICHARD HENRY HOPKINSON AND VINCENT HOPKINSON, OF BRADFORD, ENGLAND.

ADAPTABLE MOTOR-CAR BODY.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed January 2, 1913. Serial No. 739,813.

7 clear, and exact description of the inven tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in interchangeable or adaptable motorcar bodies.

The object of the invention is to provide a motorcar body which is easily and quickly changed from one form of body to another and in which the parts composing the body shall be capable of being securely locked together when in use.

A further object is to provide that the portion of the body which is removable for the purposes of adaptation shall be of comparatively small weight and need comparatively small movement to effect the locking and unlocking from the main portion of the car.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which 2- Figure 1 is an elevation of a motorcar showing the body formed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 with the upper part of the body removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through a lower part of the body by itself. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the front seat by itself. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the lower portion of the body on a somewhat large scale. F ig. 6 is the underneath plan view of a suitable upper half to convert the motorcar into a commercial car or motor lorry. Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9 show on an enlarged scale a section taken through the securing means of the upper and lower parts of the body, the first showing them in their locked position and the second in the position just before locking, different forms of locking means being shown. Figs. 9 9 and 9 and Figs. 10, 10 and 10 are views hereinafter referred to.

As will be seen from the drawings (Fig. 1) the body of the car is divided along a horizontal line a'b which is about the middle height of the body of the car and taken along underneath the seats. The under portion of the body is provided with somewhat raised structures A with cross bars D and D which are shown beveled at their rear edges. The underside of the upper portion of the seat is provided as shown in detail in Fig. 4: with cross bars E, E which are beveled at their forward edges so as to correspond with the beveled bars D and D The bars D and D are connected at their underside by a suitable strut F. In the form shown in Figs. 3, 9, 9 9 9, 6, and 7 the bar E has fixed to its underside a suitable nut or internally screwed sleeve L which when the upper portion of the body is placed in position to be locked is engaged with a suitably headed screw J which passes through a part of the superstructure A and through a suitable metal guide K in such a way that it can be screwed up by means of a suitable key or spanner to firmly lock the cross bars E and E to the cross bars D and I D as will be readily gathered from Fig. 9. When the screw J is suiiiciently tightened it is prevented from becoming loose by means of a spring catch M which is secured to the front of the portion A in such a way as to be capable of being turned and sprung over the head of the screw J. In this case the strut F is preferably bifurcated to act as a guide for the nut or internally threaded sleeve J and to allow of the pressure of the screw being applied along the middle line of the same to prevent any unnecessary strains being set up. This bifurcated or slotting of the bar F is shown in Figs. 9 and 9 The end view of the traveling sleeve or nut L is shown in Fig. 9 If desired a similar arrangement of screws J can be arranged for fixing the back seats of the car or portion corresponding thereto as shown in plan view in Fig. 5. As an alternative form of fastening a cam like device such as shown in Figs. 8 and 5 may be used. In this case a pin H is mounted in the strut F and carriesabove the strut F a cam G and underneath the strut F a handle I-I so that by the turning of the handle the cam G will be also turned to lock the cross bars I), D E, and E in position as shown. If desired the pin H may be mounted somewhat loosely in the bar F to prevent any strains being communicated thereto in cases where, as shown, the cam not only engages with the bar F but also with the bar D The handle H is provided with means under the strut F such as a band spring h to hold it in its locked position. If desired in order to take up some of the lateral strains which might be set up between the upper and lower parts of the car body the lower portion of the same is provided with plates having undercut dovetail grooves such as shown at N Figs. 10 and 10 and Fig. 5, while the upper portion of the body is provided with correspondingly dovetail plates N so arranged that when the upper portion of the body is drawn into position by means of the screw locking device or the cam locking device the plates N will enter into the plates N and act as a further locking and securing means. The doors of the car body will also preferably be divided along the horizontal line ab suitable means being provided for engaging thetwo halves of the same together.

Supposing the car to be arranged as in Fig. 1 and the parts locked together by a screw as in Fig. 9 the necessary steps .to change the form of the body are as follows: The catch M is disengaged from the head of the nut J. This is then rotated till it is clear of the internally threaded sleeve L. The upper portion of the body can then be drawn back somewhat beyond the position shown in Fig. 9 and then can be bodily lifted 01f the car and a different form of body such as a lorry body the underside and end of which are shown in Figs. 6 and 7 substituted therefor, by performing the above steps. in the reverse order.

We claim 1. In a motorcar, a body, an upper removable part and a lower fixed part forming said body, transverse bars on the upper side of said lower part and corresponding bars on the underside of said upper part and means for drawing each of the transverse bars on the underside of the upper part against and to engage with the corresponding bars on the upper side of the lower part, said means also acting to lock the corresponding bars in this position.

2. In a motor-car, a body, an upper removable part and a lower fixed part forming said body, a seat portion on said upper part and a raised structure formed on said lower part immediately under said seat portion when the upper and lower parts are in position, transverse bars on the underside of said seat portion and corresponding transverse bars on the top of said raised structure, a screw-threaded collar mounted on a transverse bar of said upper part; and a screw shaft mounted on said lower part adapted to engage with said collar.

3 In a motorcar, a body, an upper and a lower part comprising said body, said lower part being fixed to the motorcar, undercut beveled bars arranged crosswise of and on the upper side of the fixed part of the body and undercut cross bars correspending to those undercut beveled bars first mentioned fixed on the underside of said upper part and means for drawing the bars on the upper part into engagement with the bars on the lower part and for holding them in this position.

4.. Ina motorcar, a body, an upper removable part and a lower fixed part forming said body, a seat portion on said upper part and a raised structure on said lower part adapted to lie immediately under the seat portion of said upper part when said upper part is in position, cross bars under said seat portion which engage with and partially under cross bars on said raised portion, a rotatable screw mounted on said raised structure and a traveling nut adapted to be engaged by said rotating screw on one of the transverse bars on the underside of. the seat portion.

5. In a motorcar, a body comprising an upper part and a lower part, a seat portion on said upper part, a raised structure on said lower part, means mounted on the underside of said seat portion and on. the upper side of said structure to engage the one means with the other, a "screwthreaded guide mounted on said lower portion; an internally screw-threaded collar mounted on said upper portion; and a screw-threaded shaft passing through said screwthreaded guide and adapted to engage said screwthreaded collar for holdingthe upper and lower portions of the body together and against relative movement. p

6. In a motorcar, a body, an upper part and a lower part forming said body, corresponding transverse bars on the lower side of said upper portion and on the upper side of said lower portion, means for locking the transverse bars on the upper portion to those on the lower portion in combination with plates having undercut dovetailed grooves on the lower part of the body and plates having corresponding dovetailed projections on the upper part of said body, said J plates with the dovetail projections being located to engage with the plates with the dovetail grooves when the upper part of the body is in position.

7 Ina motorcar, a body divided along a horizontal line approximately at the middle height of the body into upper and lower parts, a seat on the upper part, a raised structure on the lower part. located immediately under the seat portion of said upper part when in position in combination with plates on the lower part having undercut dovetail grooves and plates on the upper part having corresponding dovetail projec= tions and means for holding the plates on the upper portion in engagement with the plates on the lower portion.

8. In a motorcar, a body comprising a and interchangeable portions, corresponding transverse bars on the lower portion of said body and on the underside of each of said plurality of upper portions of said body, means for locking the corresponding of said transverse bars together and means for holding the upper and lower portions of said body together against lateral movement.

9. In a motorcar, a body comprising an upper and lower part, the bars D, D on the lower portions and E, E on the upper portion, the strut F between the bars D, D the nut L on the bar E, the guide K on the bar D, the screw J passing through the guide K and engaging with the nut L and means for 1 locking the screw J in its tightened up position.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD HENRY HOPKINSON. VINCENT HOPKINSON. l/Vitnessesz HUBERT PUMPHREY, LUoY RANEY.

an Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

